Four Turkish soldiers were killed late yesterday when an S-70 military helicopter crashed in the province of Malatya, in eastern Turkey, according to the Eurasian country’s Ministry of Defence.
The accident took place yesterday evening on the outskirts of the village of Samanköy, situated in the district of Yeşilyurt and some 7 kilometres north of the city of Malatya. Following the crash, a fire broke out in the area, with the flames spreading to a nearby house, according to reports in the Turkish media.
Following a report to the emergency services, security forces and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. Whilst firefighters attempted to bring the fire under control and extinguish it, military and security officials began investigations at the scene of the accident.
The Ministry of Defence confirms the deaths of four military personnel
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence issued a statement regarding the incident, confirming that “one of our S-70 helicopters has crashed in Malatya for an unknown reason. The crash site has been located and search and rescue operations have commenced immediately”.
Subsequently, the Ministry confirmed that the four military personnel on board had died: “As a result of the crash of our military helicopter of the S-70 type in Malatya, for a reason that has not yet been determined, four of our heroic comrades who were on board have fallen as martyrs. We pray to God to have mercy on our martyrs and express our condolences and wishes for strength to their bereaved families, the Turkish Armed Forces and our noble nation”, the statement said.
The Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the helicopter crash; as part of the proceedings, a deputy chief public prosecutor and two public prosecutors have been appointed.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence has also released the identities of the four military personnel who died in the accident: they are Majors Erdem Çimen and Orhun Pınar, and non-commissioned officers Hüseyin Zehir and Serkan Önder, both of whom were aviation technicians. Footage has been released of the neighbourhood in the city of Izmir where Major Çimen’s family lives, and of the province of Hatay, where Warrant Officer Zehir lived, after their families and loved ones were informed of the sad news of their deaths.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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